2004 Azelia Barolo San Rocco- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I expected this Azelia to be good but I was a bit taken aback as to how good it was, at age 13 … A nose of tar and violets (rather than roses), menthol, mushrooms, earth and spices and wild herbs. On palate, poised and well balanced. Good fruit volume and weight. Savoury black cherries, asphalt, tobacco, earth, liquorice and a little black truffle, wrapped around Serralunga iron. Bone dry and fresh with excellent acidity. Sympathetic oak treatment (20% new barriques, I understand). Perhaps slightly modernist but not massively so. Tannins fine grained and well integrated. Good power and length. Even better with food. No doubt it’ll be better in 10+ years, but it’s pretty damn good now … (94 pts.)
My recent impression has been that one can’t go wrong with the '04’s, unlike the 01’s that remain beasts. Drank an '04 Giacosa Vigna Croera last night, with about an 1-2 hour decant. It could have used a little more air and will go far longer but was a lovely drink–some nice red fruit and menthol, quite a bit of acidity, along with the usual black fruits and tar.
Azelia’s '04s are quite good. My Barolo group had a Bricco Fiasco in a bland tasting that included Bartolo Mascarello, Giacomo Conterno and many moire–and the Azelia came out in the top three.
Thanks, have a few of these. Remember having the normale 04 in about 2010 and being surprised with its power and poise. look forward to busting one of these.
Thanks for the insightful note.
I hear you on that. I have a few '01 Azelia Bricco Fiasco’s that are still hard as nails. Big beefy/bacony/earthy/balsamic flavor with a big tannic hit.
I am not sure I would describe a tasting of B. Mascarello, G. Conterno and Azelia as “bland,” but I concur with your assessment of the quality of the wines Signore Scavino is making. i particularly enjoy the Margheria, but I am glad to hear that the youthful polish of the Bricco Fiasco evolves into a stellar wine.
For real? I can finally start tapping into my '04 Barolos??? I figured they were going to age for several decades more, the way things have been going…
I have a stash of '04 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi’s that are drinking phenomenally right now. Great earthy flavors, menthol and florals with mild tannins. Have the same wine but from 07 which is still very fruit forward at the moment. Great compare/contrast between the two vintages.
Interesting discussion. The recent 2004s I’ve had lately have been good, young wines, showing well, but, obviously, with tons of potential:
2004 Azelia Barolo Bricco Fiasco- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The recent 2004 San Rocco encouraged me to open this 2004 Bricco Fiasco. It’s good but, for me, not with same detail and quality as the San Rocco … Mainly black fruited perfumes, cherries and blackberries, with plums and cassis. With time, menthol, dry earth and pine needles. Also, in the mouth, initially lots of dark fruit, with iron and crushed rocks. Later, some creosote, earth and umami balsamic flavours emerged. Good balance, very 2004, and acidity. Fine grained tannins but some oak artefact on the finish. A little more linear than the San Rocco. Ideally, I’d give it another 3-4 + years to further unwind … (92 pts.)
We had a Produttori Barbaresco tasting recently with quite a lot of cru’s on display. My main impression were that the 99’s drank well, and that the 01’s were…beasts, as you put it.
There’s no hurry to open them, but the ones that I’ve tried are definitely approachable, especially the more middle of the road (between “trad” and “modern”), like Cavalotto or Chiara Boschis (E. Pira). But the others, also, I have had including (Aldo) Conterno, seemed beginning to be ready for business, if not yet totally “in the zone.”
